Musharraf not happy with medical facilities in Pakistan

Supporters of Pakistan's former President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf rally in Karachi on Thursday. A prosecutor and defence lawyer said on Friday that Gen. Musharraf, who is facing a high treason case, wants to be treated abroad for a heart disease.

A board of senior doctors submitted Musharraf's medical report on Friday to the special court trying him for high treason.

The medical report by a board of senior doctors at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology(AFIC) on the health condition of

former President General(retd) Pervez Musharraf indicates that he wants to choose where he will be treated and is not satisfied with facilities in Pakistan.

The report submitted to the special court on Friday, said the patient has expressed his keenness to undergo coronary angiography. However, he has reserved his right to undergo this or any subsequent intervention at the medical facility of his choice.

Though adequate facility for coronary disease management exist in Pakistan, he (Musharraf) feels there is a paucity of advance cardiac support systems available in the country, like left ventricular assist devices, required to save the patient's life in the event of sudden, severe heart failure, the report said.

At the last hearing, the defence had submitted a letter from Dr. Arjumand Hashmi , director of interventional cardiology, Paris

Regional Medical Center, Paris, in Texas, USA, which said Musharraf was suffering from coronary artery disease which can result in a heart attack if left untreated. He had also urged that he be transferred to the US for treatment. Musharraf was admitted to AFIC on January 2 and a medical report was already submitted to the court detailing his health condition on January 7.

Today’s report said a coronary angiogram is required urgently to ascertain the need for further interventions like coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The seriousness and unpredictability of the disease warrant close and constant supervision of the patient till a decision to undertake further procedures is taken. The decision in this regard needs to be taken as early as possible, the report said.

The special court trying Musharraf for high treason had ordered the fresh medical report after Musharraf failed to appear despite three summonses. On January 16, Justice Faisal Arab had asked the board to give its opinion on how precarious Musharraf’s health condition was which restricts his movements and prevents him from attending court.

The court also asked the board to state how long he has been advised further hospitalization and if he had undergone any surgery or other medical procedure during his stay. or if any procedure was planned.

Special public prosecutor Akram Sheikh said he had no faith in this report and demanded the setting up of an independent medical board comprising top cardiologists from five major hospitals to decide on Musharraf’s medical condition. He said he would file written objections to the report which indicated that Musharraf wanted to go abroad and did not want to be treated by the military doctors. Mr. Sheikh submitted that the former dictator did not trust Pakistani medical facilities. If this report was acted upon, all those in prison suffering from cardiac ailments would have to be released, he remarked. He said the accused was hale and hearty.

After this Akhtar Shah, a lawyer and supporter of Musharraf who is not part of the defence team, shouted at the prosecution and threatened to break the limbs of all those who opposed Pakistan and the army. Earlier during the break, Mr. Sheikh had accused the defence team of threatening him. Finally Justice Arab had to intervene and say that this was a court and not an arena and he told Mr. Shah not to create a scene. He said such actions made a mockery of the Pakistan judicial system.

Senior defence counsel Sharifuddin Pirzada said he took strong exception to Mr. Sheikh’s objections to AFIC and said the report was a candid opinion on his client’s health. The matter will now be heard of Wednesday. However, talking to the media outside the court, Ikram Choudhary from the prosecution said there is no apparent reason given for Musharraf not to come to court and he was leading a normal life in hospital. He was no longer in intensive care unit. The report also did not give any specific responses and was almost a replica of the earlier report, he said. The report was more a reflection of Musharraf’s personal wishes, he added.

If Musharraf is allowed to leave Pakistan now under the pretext of letting him treated by the doctors of his choice then the same arguement can be advanced by any and every criminal or alleged criminal to escape the long arm of justice in Pakistan. And then comes the pertinent point - Remember Musharraf ruled Pakistan for many years after overthrowing the legally elected government. If the medical facilities in Pakistan are not good enough it reflects on his administration. He should take the blame for inadequate facilities. He ruled the country with an iron fist. He cannot then blame anybody else for inefficiency or corruption.

from:
T.S.Krishnaswamy

Posted on: Jan 25, 2014 at 02:33 IST

This case is a personal vendetta of Nawaz Sharif and former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry who have stacked up the court with anti-Musharraf justices who are themselves not respected in the judicial community as competent judges. Musharraf is playing the game on their own turf and handing them their own medicine so to speak.

from:
Pakistani Patriot

Posted on: Jan 24, 2014 at 23:20 IST

Is it not ironic, that a person who headed the Government for so many years, and ruled with an iron fist, is calling the Medical facilities in his inadequate...What was he doing as leader to make sure that good Medical facilities were available for his country and its citizens? He should be ashamed of himself.